ABSTRACT
At birth iron levels are low, but during the first 2 decades of life iron accumulates rapidly in the human brain and then starts to plateau at approximately 30 years of age. 1 Some brain areas, e.g., globus pallidus and substantia nigra, reach maximal levels that are maintained after age 30, whereas other brain regions, e.g., caudate nucleus and putamen, do not reach maximal levels until later in life (50 to 60 years). In the adult, the blood-brain barrier tightly regulates brain iron metabolism. This restricts the turnover of iron and protects the brain against changes in peripheral iron levels such as those occurring in hemochromatosis.
